Disappearing structure for chairs, tables, and the like



Aug. 21, 1923.

- 1,465,529 c. 'M. RUMBAUGH ET AL AND THE LIKE TABLES DISAPPEARINGSTRUCTURE FOR CHAIRS Filed Jan. 28, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 21, 1923.1,465.529

C. M. RUMBAUGH ET AL.

DISAPPEARING STRUCTURE FOR CHAIRS, TABLES, AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 28.1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W7ess' fully et forth, ointedoutin our claims,

its-eases" Patented Ang. 21, 19 23. r

JIJUNIET'ED era-res seirsarfessfies; 5Q

oHARLEsM. BUMBAUGH ANDJO N s. osseonn, senseemes, o A. V

DISAPPEARING 'sTnUerUns son one-ins; saB ns; Ann 'TVIV'IE L nn, I 1

' Application filed Jamey 28,1922. se m-o, 532,456. j I l InLFigureZ 1,weihave used the reference numeral 10 to indicatey'generally the frontsurface of the wall having thestudding 11..

, The other surface of the wall has not been shown. Each chair orirtableor thelike is 7' arranged between two stud'di'ng 11'. 'x'

ll ejpreterably build each disappearingfl structure as. a unit in arectangular" frame, 7 c

7 i V V comprisingtheupright niembers 12 andthe,

10 The purpose efonr invention is to prof: cross ;members.13'.- Securedto; the: inner V ide a disappearing structure,foricliairs, tafaces ofthe upright membersl2 near the blesand the lilie' of simple, durable andin lower parts thereof are opposite upright eiigensiveconstruction.' 1 Va guides 14,. The :gnidesjlimay'be madei'of jllore particularly, it isour object toprosuitable 'materiaipsuchifor; instance.as'.inch;-l02

'videmfor" instance a; structure, whereby chair, such as is used inbreakfast rooms andother places where it isimportant to save space, maybe 'contructed and arranged, so as to be folded into a wall, whendesired, and may .be opened out for-use conveniently and easily. f f V Afurther object is to provide a peculiar structure for sueh-a device,whereby the chair or table is firmly supported when in 2 its openposition. .i' a

\Vith these and other objects in View, our invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various :parts of'ourdevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, tie-hereinaftermore T o ailtwiz-omflit meg ,concernr ,7

@Be it known that we, CHARLES M. RUM- eanen and JOHN SgOnsizonN,citizens ot' the United States,- and residents of Des 5 Moines, in thecounty of Folk :and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulDisappearing Structures for Chairs, fiables, and the like, ofwhich thefollowing,- is a specification. j

slot 15.] Theiguide A'has at the'upperedge 'ofeach. slot ahorizontalsurtaee l6 fromthe 1 rear end of which the. material iscut'out to form a downwardly and forwardly curvel 5 guidesurface 17, asshownfor instancein Figurefii. ..-e:v It will be understood that thewall at the front of the irame described has an open-f. ing, which isfilled bv the chair seat or ta 3 his or the like when thedisappearingdevice is folded 111').i.- i V A ound-theedge of theopening, we Err" range frame members as fshownin F igure l, i 1 theupper frame members'being indicated at 18,thev side frame members at 19and the bottom frame member at 20. i

It may be-mentioned that thetrame mem ber 20 substantially overlaps "the"opening, as illustrated for instance in Figures 3 .[VVherethedisapnearing structure forms" achair or chair sea't,rwe provide asuitable seat, such as A, which may be i'nthe form of and illustratedin{the accompanying draw- 4 ingainwhich: f V Figure 1 showsqa perspectiveview o fa wall i and, a itoldii'ig structure einstalled,

thereon 1 .7: we, i

Figure 2 shows arear elevation-of the dis-- appearing structure. l r

Figure 3 shows a detailed, sectional, view taken on the line 3-'3,ofFig'ure 2.]

qFigure ishows La similar view with the ii/leather or the like; 1' v a II The. member oithe'frame 21' whichstand chairseat lowered] 5 adjacentto the frame member'QO has the I Figure jishowsa similar view of a"extension;23, which projects'into the ope: slightlymodified ,fOID'I Ofour invention, in inr 24 in thewall g Y ,j i 100. which a table insteadof achair is used. (W en the seat is n its aised pos ion, .qFigure6showsa similar view illustrating the ex'tension23 stands behind? theframe;-; the arrangement of the partswithan ironmember 20 as shown inFigure; 1. The exing board; and H I t tension 23fis only substantiallyhalt the L Figure? shows airlan view of the ironing board. 1 1 VlVewillf-describe a disappearing struc seat is in its raised osition theframe 21 boards, each having-in itsforward edge,a'

arectangularvframe-21,lmvingthe seatj23 thiekness of-zthe frame thatwhenthe 0 rests on the frame. m mberso s shown inf f ture, comprising jadevice-adapted to serve as a-chair or seat-in abreakfastroom or thelil'zewThe, device is designed'to be made to j-foldjinto awall havingsubstantial thick DESS- V c Figure. 3; Secured to'the; extension is .acrossbar v25', which is provided substantially mid-way "between its endswith a 1 ,notch 2-6,'showninFigure 2 i M t n heses b 'and projectfj ingupwardly and 'rearwardl'y; theretr-om,

' when the chair seat is in raised position,

are two guide lugs 27, shown in Figures 2 and V V 1 lVe provide arectangular panel 28 for closing the opening 24 when the chair seat islowered. The panel 28 when the seat is raised rests on the crossbar-just back of the seat, as shown in Figure 3 and is held between theguide member 14 and the chair seat.

On the back of the panel 28 at the upper part thereof near the sideedges of the panel are filler hlocks 29. Connecting the upright framemembers 1% just above the lower 'crossi'rame member 13 is a bar 3 A coilspring 31 is secured to the bar v and to the upper rearpart of the panel28.

Secured to the' rear surface of the panel 28' is'a short plate or bar3'2, which when the seat is raised, is received in the notch 26, asshown i iFigure 2.

Secured to theinner adjacent faces of the upright frame member-s12 atthe upper parts thereof are guide members 33.

Assuming the parts to be in the position I shown in, Figure 8, and thatit is desired .to lower the chair seat to position for use,

the engaging member 34: in the outer face of the chair is grasped andthe upper portion of the chair seat 18 pulled downwardly .and forwardly.The chair seat is shown in its midway position in Figure l.

The-chair seat moves on the upper edge of the frame member 20 as apivot, and is 7 moved to horizontal positio when the extension 23 restson wardly and forwardly until it rests on the extension 23, as shown inFigure l. The

member-3: tlien projects downwardly and stands back of the frame 20 andthus prevents undue forward movement of the lower part ofthe panel 28. v

The guide lugs 27 engage the back of the lower part of the panel andhold it in position, forcing it forwardly a proper dis tance.

The spacer blocks 29 at the upper end of the panel 28, slide against theguide members 33 and stand just in front of the upper port ons thereof,as shown in lligure 4, I

when the seat is lowered.

The spring 31 prevents the upper-part of the panel from movingforwardlyfout of the opening 24. j' I l It will be noted that thepanel'28 when thechair seat is lowered rests upon the V ported.

chair seat and substantially abuts against the upper frame member, 18and thushelps to hold the seat snugly. and rigidlysup- As the seatswings from its upper posi-' tion downwardly to, horizontal position,the

cross bar 25 travels in the guide slot 15 in the guide member 14: untilit engages the horizontal surface 16, and it willthus be seen that, theseat is held :supported on the frame member 20; while the cross bar'25engages the surface 16.-

The seat is held against outward, slid ing movement by means of-theplateY The" seats, which we have built, work very easily and are properly,balanced. outer or under surface "isipaneled to the appearaneeof apaneled wall.

The movabIe'panelQS serves the function of helping to hold the chair,seat rigidly in its'lowe-red' position and of forming a back of a chairand filling up the opening 24. It also serves as a weight to hold thechair in itsiraised position and toswing it upwardly after the chair haspassed center on'its upward movement.

It will be noted that there are no metal hinges or joints. It will alsobe noted. that give I The I double 1 5 by pulling the upper edge of thepanel front forwardly, the spring 31 may be readily released and thepanel andseat'may be readily removed to permit access to anyof theparts.

It will also be noted that by simply making the parts inthe properproportions, the seat may be given the form of a table.

In Figure 5, we have shown a slightly modified form of our invention, inWhich he panel or member 40 is fixed and a table I 41 is provided,which'hason its outer surface, the cross member -42 and on its innersurface the cross member 43. member 43 when the table 41 is lowered Thecross rests against the surface '16 of the guide member 14 and alsoagainst the rear surface of the member 450. Thetable- 41 has. on itsunder .offorward surface, a hinged leg 44, s

which when the/table is folded up, swings 7 against the forward surfaceof the table and "forms what is apparently apart of" apanel wall. r

In Figure 6, we have shown an ironing board 45 su'bstit-uted'fonthtatable 41.

In Figure 7 is shown" the upper side of-- 7 our improved disappearingstructurew-i-th i out departing; from the real spirit and purpose of ourinvention, audit is our intentionto cover by our claims, any modifiedforms of structure or use ot mechanical equivalents, which maybereasonably included within their scope. V

We claim as our invention: 7

1. A disappearing structure designed to be supported as part of a wall,comprising. a frame, guide members on said frame at the oppositesidesthereof having slots, guide members spaced above said first guide mem--bers, a chair seat having at its lower, inner edge an extension of lessthickness than the seat, a cross member on said extension, guide lugs onsaid cross member, a movable panel adapted to rest on said cross memberwhen the seat is raised, said panel being provided at its lower innerportion with a downwardly projecting member, a spring con-. nected withthe upper part of said panel and with said frame. 7 7 e 2. In a deviceof the class described, a frame, a disappearing structure operated onsaid frame comprising a supporting 'mem-' ber arranged in uprightposition to close and fill the opening in the frame, said member havinga projection extending down wardly inside the frame when the supportingmember is raised, said projection being adapted to rest on the'lowerpart of the frame when the supporting memberis lowered, stop members onthe frame for engaging the said projection when the supporting member islowered, a movable panel and coacting means on said frame and supportingmember and panel for moving it to; position received within the framefor closing and filling the opening in: the frame when the supportingmember is lowered,

said means including members for, loosely end with said frame. g V 3. Ina device. of the class described, a

frame, a disappearing structure operated on sald frame compris ng asupporting. mem-z I ber arranged in upright position to close and fillthe opening in the'frame, said 'member having a projection extendingdown-- wardly inside the frame when the supporting memberv is raised,said projection being adapted to rest on 1 the lower part oftheframewhen the supporting member is low-- er'ed, stop members on theframe for engag-; ing the said projection when the supporting f Vmemberis lowered, a movable panel and boasting means on said frame, supportingmember and p'anelfor moving itto position received within the-frame forclosing and filling the opening in the frame when the supporting memberis lowered, said means 1nclud1ngme=mbers for looselyv guiding the upperportion of said panel, a yielding device for connecting said upper endwith said frame, for supporting and guiding the lower edge of said panelwithout fa stening connection thereto.

CHARLES M. 'RUMBA'UGH. 7

' JOHN S. :ORSBORN. I

